The Throat: Part 3

The Ratskeller was busy as usual. It was always busy by 7 a.m. College kids of all grad levels found their way to the Ratskeller in the morning for coffee first, and the occasional breakfast. The room held six small tables but between 6:30 a.m. and 8:45 a.m., no one was sitting. It was just long lines from the three registers all the way to the front of the shop, sometimes out the door.

Aaron hated making the coffee – too many steam and hot foam burns in the last two years he had been working there – so he happily took a register and warmed up the premade bagel sandwiches in the microwave. But Aaron loved the job. It was easy and monotonous. He didn’t think about school work, or his other job; he didn’t even mind being on his feet from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. every weekday morning. He focused on servicing customers, making sure orders were right, and getting tips along the way.

The job gave him a nice cover too. He would deposit his weekly paycheck anywhere between $200-$400 every Monday morning. Even if he made more than that from his other job, he would still limit his deposits to less than $400 a week, to avoid any suspicion on how he made his money.

Two days ago he happily deposited the $1400 check from Omega Pi Epsilon Incorporated, with the memo that stated “Recreational Services,” along with his regular weekly paycheck of $320 touting...